They Appeared Out Of Nowhere
by Sagethorn
Summary: Two young cats turn up outside the ShadowClan camp in a Twoleg box. They are well-fed and groomed but dotted with scars and remember nothing of their pasts. They are welcomed hesitantly into the clan, where they prove to be excellent cats, loyal and devoted. But there is something strange, something almost ill-seeming about them. And some outside force is watching them eagerly...
1. Chapter 1

**[Author's Note: Hello! This is just an idea for a fanfic that came to me earlier tonight. I thought it would be fun to write. To anyone who has read my other fanfic, this one has nothing to do with that one. This is rated T for some violence. Please enjoy! :D]**

The Twoleg van bumped and bounced over the marshy field, skidding awkwardly now that it wasn't driving on a road. A man in the passenger seat cursed and gripped the arm rest.

"Can you drive any worse?" He snapped at the driver.

"I'm working on it. This place is full of ditches and rocks." The woman driving growled as the van bumped over yet another hole in the ground. "How are our they doing?"

The man in the passenger seat peered into the top of an old cardboard box on his lap. "Still unconscious. The sedative should keep them out for at least another two hours."

"Good. The last thing we need is for them to wake up and freak out while I'm driving." The woman said, beginning to slow the van down. "Are you sure this will work?"

"It should. They've both been injected by the virus. It will take effect within weeks, and take full effect not long after that. It will completely wipe out the ferals, or at the very least it will greatly diminish their numbers." The man explained.

"Good. They've been causing problems with the town near here. People are scared. Apparently they've had pets attacked. And there's always the threat of rabies." The woman said, maneuvering the van around a fallen tree.

"Yes, and God-knows what other diseases they could have. You see, the good thing about this virus is that it's harmless to humans. But it will be deadly to the ferals." The man replied. "We'll just need to have the veterinarians give injections to the town pets to keep them immune, in case the disease spreads there."

"You know, I've always wondered, why did we need two of them?" The woman asked, glancing at the bundles in the box.

"In case one gets killed before the virus takes effect. Lots of dangers out here. Snakes, foxes, loose dogs, cars. It wouldn't surprise me if only one makes it out alive. Until the disease kills him, of course." The man explained. He glanced out the window. "Slow the van, we're almost there."

"You sure this is the place?" The woman asked skeptically, slowing the van down to a crawl. "This is the middle of nowhere."

"People reported seeing the most ferals around this one area, in a big mass of broken trees and brambles. We can drop them off there." The man said.

"How do we know they'll be accepted?" The woman asked.

"Because people have seen more ferals appearing in the colony, full-grown ones, that obviously weren't born there. So they must be taking in strays." The man replied.

"This is the place." The woman said, skidding the van to a halt. They opened the doors and climbed out, the man still hefting the box.

"Ugh, this place is disgusting." The woman remarked as her boots squished into the boggy ground.

"Well then let's hurry up before we sink." The man snapped, and began to walk towards an old fallen tree along the edge of the patch of debris.

"Keep quiet. We don't want the ferals knowing we're here." The woman reminded him, walking as quietly as she could in her heavy boots. "Leave it a ways away from the actual colony camp, we don't want to be spotted."

The man set the box down in the shade of a fallen tree, several hundred feet from the large jumble of branches and twigs that was their 'camp'.

"That should be good." He remarked. He waved at the box with a gloved hand. "Bye bye, little guys. Be good."

"Hurry up, we don't have time. We need to head into town now." The woman snapped, stepping from one foot to another.

"Right, coming." The man responded, walking back towards her.

The two climbed into the van and the vehicle sped off, leaving the cardboard box with the two sleeping bundles resting on the marshy ground.

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Back at camp, a long-haired red tomcat with a white chest was sleeping splayed across a tree stump, snoring loudly. He was technically on guard duty, but the night was silent and the air was warm and he had been on a hard patrol that day and...yeah.

But the sound of the retreating van's tires cracking over a branch snapped him awake instantly. He scrambled to his feet on the slimy tree stump, yellow eyes huge.

"Who's there?" He called out in a sleep-slurred voice. His night-vison eyes scanned the area. He frowned. "Hmmm."

He sniffed the air deeply, and picked up a whiff of something beyond the usual scents of the bog "Twolegs!" He hissed under his breath. He spotted something large and square sitting under a fallen tree.

He hopped off the trunk and began to ease forward slowly, hackles up. The box seemed to be the source of the scent. It reeked of Twoleg.

He knew he shouldn't head towards the box, he knew it was a stupid idea. It was a Twoleg...thing. Who knew it it would poison him, or explode in his face, or release some kind of creature that would kill him. But a kit-like curiosity in him kept him walking towards the object, claws unsheathed just in case.

He paused within a few feet of it, uncertain. It was twice his size, the object, and flat and sharp-cornered. Definatly not natural.

_I should go back and get Darkstar_. He thought. But the sound of a soft snort from inside the box made his ears prick. There was something inside the box, something living, probably trapped by Twolegs.

Curiosity bubbled in him again, and unable to resist, he stepped forward, reached up, and placed his paws on the edge of the box. He stretched his head up and peered over.

He sprang back in surprise and backed away a few steps, hackles raised.

"Darkstar!" He screamed, loud enough to wake the entire camp. "You need to see this!"

**[Author's Note: Next chapter will be up soon. Please read and leave a review!]**


	2. Chapter 2

**[Author's Note: Look at me! New chapter already! I'm trying to update my stories more often now. Thanks for the amazing review, guys! I honestly didn't know if anyone would like this story. It was just kind of an idea I had. Anyway, enjoy!]**

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A large group of cats, maybe two-thirds of the clan, milled about outside the camp, blinking and mumbling, trying to figure out what was going on. Rumors flew through the crowd: Another clan was invading, a fox den had been discovered, Twolegs had come, a kit had gone missing. But the only cat who knew for sure, the night guard, wasn't saying anything. He was waiting for the leader.

"Alright, _alright!_" Snapped a voice. Through the crowd weaved a small jet-black she-cat, who, to say the least, was not pleased at being up at such an hour. She turned sharply to face the clan. "You lot! Get out of here! Were you called? _No_! I was! Now get back to your nests or I'll send you all out on dawn patrol for three nights in a row!"

The cats stared in stunned silence, then, grumbling slightly, began to disperse, heading back through the bramble tunnel and into camp.

"She-cats.." One tabby tom muttered to his friend.

"Tell me about it...never wake them up before sunrise..." The cat responded.

The black cat heard the two but chose to ignore them. She could inflict punishment later. For now she had a matter to attend to.

"Alright, Redstep." She said, turning to the tom who had been on guard duty. His yellow eyes were still widened in shock. "What? What's so important?"

Redstep swallowed hard, blinked a few times to focus, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Get on with it!" Hissed the impatient she-cat. "Cat got your tongue?"

"No ma'am." Redstep meowed, flinching. Darkstar was one of the smallest full-grown cats he had ever seen, but she had a tiger's heart. And attitude. "I-I was on guard duty, and I heard the sound of something smashing very loudly."

"Near the camp?" Darkstar questioned, stretching out across the cool ground with a yawn.

"No, more like a few dozen tree-lengths away." Redstep responded. "A little farther off than this area. And-"

"And obviously it was Twolegs, you don't need to tell me, this place reeks of their scent." Darkstar cut in. She sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose, sneezing lightly for emphasis.

Redstep dipped his head. "Yes, ma'am. I went to investigate and found..." He hesitated, searching for the right word for the Twoleg object. "...A Twoleg contraption." He said finally.

"That over there?" Darkstar questioned, tilting her head to the box sitting several tail-lengths off.

Redstep nodded.

"Well," Darkstar said, getting to her paws. "Let's have a look them." She began to pad over to the box on light feet.

Redstep hesitated, then bounded after her.

Darkstar placed her paws on the edge of the box, like he had, and peered over. Her eyes widened slightly. She turned back around to face the warrior.

"Well." She said finally.

"Yeah." Redstep agreed.

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Nestled in the box, slumped over one another, completely dead to the world, were two snow-white cats. They were totally identical, blending neatly into one another, their breathing shallow and rythmitic with each other.

"Are they alive?" Darkstar meowed, peering down at the two, who were sharply outlined by the dull brown material of the Twoleg box.

"I think so. See their flanks moving?" Redstep meowed, looking down from the other side of the carton.

"Are they unconscious? In a coma?" Darkstar questioned. "You would think they'd be awake by now. Did the Twolegs do something to them?"

"I don't know." Redstep admitted. "I just came over and found them here."

"Fat lot of help that is." Darkstar snapped in irritation. She sighed and climbed down from the side of the box. She rubbed her forehead sharply with two claws. "Call Meadowsplash."

"I'm here!" Called a muffled voice. The two cats looked over to see a young grey she cat, flecked with orange, rushing over, a mouthful of some kind of leaves in here mouth. She tripped over a jutting root with an _oof_ of surprise and fell to the ground, the herbs flying out around her.

The she-cat staggered to her feet, panting. "I was out getting herbs, and I came back, and Talonclaw told me what happened, and I thought maybe someone was hurt, so I-"

"Just shut up and get over here!" Darkstar snarled, completely out of patience for the wild young medicine cat.

Meadowsplash ducked her head in embarrassment and slunk over, tail hanging low, bits of leaves sliding off her thin pelt.

"What's in there?" The medicine cat meowed. She sniffed the air and made a face. "Yech! This place _stinks_ of Twolegs!"

"I'm aware." Darkstar meowed through gritted teeth. "Look. In. The. Box."

Meadowsplash reared up to peer inside, easy on her long, gangly legs. She dipped her head down, then sprang back in surprise, leaping off the box and doing some sort of twist in midair to land on her feet.

"What the-?" She gasped. "Kittypets?"

"I don't know or care right now." Darkstar snarled. "Assess their physical condition."

Meadowsplash brightened at being given a task. "Right, okay, of course." She reared back up onto the box and, to the other cats surprise, climbed in. Darkstar and Redstep clambered up to peer in after her.

She was standing carefully over them, balanced as so not to step on either of them. The normally-clumsy cat's grace was surprising, but Meadowsplash was always more focused with a job to do.

The grey and orange cat reached out a paw and rested it on one cat's soft white neck. She held it there carefully for a moment, then lifted it and placed it on the other cat. She looked back up at her leader.

"Slow pulse, shallow but even breathing. Normal signs of an unconscious cat, but they seem much more dormant than just a normal knock out." Meadowsplash was proud of her skills. Since the untimely murder of her mentor, Sagetail, the clan had had their doubts about their bumbling new medicine cat. But Meadowsplash hoped she was proving herself a worthy ShadowClan cat.

"Are they in some kind of coma?" Darkstar questioned.

Meadowsplash bit her lip. "I..I don't know. I've never really seen any cat in a coma before."

"That's helpful." Darkstar growled under her breath, causing Meadowsplash to shrink down in her pelt. "Alright, out of the box, Meadowsplash, I need a better view of them." The medicine cat scrabbled out of the box and slid out of the way, eyes downcast in embarrassment.

Darkstar peered curiously at the pair, eyes narrowed. They seemed completely unaware of anything around them, eyes closed, breathing slowly. They didn't even sniff or murmur in their sleep like a normal cat. They were completely out cold.

"See any collars? Anything that might distinguish them as kittypets?" Redstep asked, the large bulky cat struggling to balance on the edge of the box.

"No. But they seem like they've eaten pretty good. They're not fat, but they're at least as well-fed as a RiverClan cat in the summer. And they're fur is perfectly sleek; no burrs or mud." Darkstar reported, scanning them from head-to-toe.

"They must be kittypets." Redstep insisted. "No clan cat looks that well."

"Maybe. Who knows? The Twolegs definitely left them here, though. Abandoning them probably. Heartless creatures." Darkstar said decisively.

"They could explain to us more when they wake up." Redstep mewed, staring at their sleeping forms.

"Who said we're keeping them around long enough for them to wake up?" Darkstar snapped, irritated at someone else attempting authority over decisions.

"Well, are they?" Redstep turned his bright yellow gaze onto his leader curiously.

Blame it on her headache, her lack of sleep, or just the fact that this was a horrible time of night to be making decisions, but Darkstar sighed and closed her eyes. "Yes. Bring them into camp."

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** [Author's Note: I started wiring this story with a very vague idea of the plot, so if anyone has any suggestions for things that can happen, please review or message me. Thank you for reading! Please leave a review! Ciao! :D]**


	3. Chapter 3

**[Author's Note: Yes, here's another chapter already! I really love writing this fic. Thank you guys sooo much for the reviews and favs and follows. Love you guys! :D]**

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Getting the cats actually into the camp proved a bit of a challenge. Especially since Darkstar insisted they be left in the box.

"Would you rather drag them?" She had snapped when Redstep and Meadowsplash had sent her sanity-questioning looks. "If they're injured they shouldn't be moved. You of all cats should know that, _Meadowsplash_. And I don't even know if this box had some sort of significance or something. Now shut up and push."

Fifteen minutes and alot of growling and cursing and Darkstar's 'moral support' later, they had hefted the box through the brambly entrance and into camp. They had also destroyed half the tunnel, which was met with withering looks from the young warriors who would have to fix it in the morning.

They would hav been swamped by curious onlookers once they got into camp, if it weren't for the fact that most of them were more scared of Darkstar than they were interested by the box. The Dark Forest had nothing on a grumpy she-cat woken up too early.

They managed to drag their prize into Meadowsplash's den. It didn't fit very well at all, but Meadowsplash swallowed back her complaints about her now-wrecked ceiling. Her patients came first.

The three paused panting in the medicine cat den, after the box had been settled into a corner. Redstep padded away for a drink from the small pool of water on the other side of the den, and Darkstar turned to Meadowsplash.

"Look, don't do anything stupid with them. I just want you to watch over them and report to me any changes you notice." The ShadowClan leader ordered.

"Can't I give them herbs or something?" Meadowsplash protested. "'Cuz I think I might have something that could help them wake up faster-"

Darkstar's moss-green eyes flashed. "No." She said decisively.

Meadowsplash nodded meekly. "Okay," She mumbled.

Redstep trotted back over to them, licking his dripping jowls. "So, are we just leaving them here?" He questioned, his gaze flicking from his leader to his medicine cat.

"Yes." Darkstar meowed, at the same time that Meadowsplash said, "Apparently."

"Okay." Redstep meowed. He turned to look back at the box, then glanced awkwardly up at Darkstar. "Um, I was wondering...uh...can we go back to sleep now?" He requested meekly, shuffling his paws.

"Of course." Darkstar puffed out her chest. "I'm not having you dead on your feet in the morning. To your nest, that's an order."

"Yes, Darkstar." Redstep slunk away with a discreet smile, for once more than pleased to follow orders.

Darkstar turned to leave after her warrior, when she was turned back around by Meadowsplash's protest.

"But, Darkstar," Meadowsplash mewed plaintively. "We're just going to... to _leave_ them there?"

Darkstar snorted. "Yes, Meadow, in case you haven't noticed, they're _unconscious_. I find it improbable that they're going to wake up and launch an assault while you sleep."

"Yeah, right, okay." Meadowsplash mumbled, wincing at being called, "Meadow'. Darkstar tended to call cats by only their prefix when she was at the end of her rope. "G'night."

"Good night, Meadowsplash." Darkstar replied tiredly. Then with an absentminded flick of her silky tail, the leader slunk of for some much-needed sleep.

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The cat felt...strange. It didn't know what other word to use. Scared? No, never scared. Confused? Well, kind of. Not really. To be honest, the cat wasn't even able to be confused. To be confused, you would have to at least have some sense of what normalcy was first. And this cat didn't.

The cat did, however, feel the sensation of wandering blindly through a place full of dark, hazy mist that drowned out sight, sound, and touch. The sensation was unseen, silent, and intangible. But the cat felt it, somewhere, in the back of whatever was left of its mind.

Then came the feeling of the haze becoming lighter, almost _lifting_. Almost dissolving, wisping away into nothingness.

Now the cat was a little frightened. No, apprehensive. No... emotions were too confusing to figure out when you couldn't even tell if you were living or not. The cat wandered blindly in the rapidly fading void, never turning around or stumbling over anything, never breathing in or out, never needing to blink. Just walking in a straight line on non-existent paws, in a nonexistent body, in a nonreal place.

The sensation changed to something like waking up from a dream. The sudden analogy surprised the cat. _I know what a dream is?!_ This suddenly gained knowledge only added to the cat's slowly mounting worry.

This was definitely like waking from a dream now. The imaginary world that-wasn't-quite-an-actual-place was collapsing, buckling in on itself, yet the cat's dream-or-whatever-this-was body never fell or stumbled. It was like the cat was collapsing too.

And _now_ there was fear.

The cat wanted to run (Another surprise, knowing what running was). But its impossible to run when you have no feet to speak of, nor is there any ground beneath you. So the cat just fell into the nothingness, or it fell onto the cat, someway around like that. Until finally it all crushed together at once, and suddenly it all popped away into blackness.

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**[Author's Note: I'd like to take a moment to respond to respond to Anonymous Fishy's review:**

** First of all, thankyouthankyouthankyou! Please continue to review my story, you catch things I completely missed and I like your ideas! Now I'm going to respond to some of the things you posted in your review.**

** *Let's pretend the first mistake is because Darkstar was tired and not thinking straight.**

** *OMG how did I miss the Redstep/Redpath thing?! D: I proofread that chapter twice! Oh my God... Anyway, his name is **_**Redstep**_**. I actually just went and edited that chapter because that was such a huge mistake, oh my God.**

** *Yes, he did mean 'we', not 'they'. Whoops. :P**

** *Thanks! I like these characters already, too. And yeah, I hope the kittens don't end up as Mary-Sues either! Please tell me if they seem like that.**

** *Love your suggestions! I've got a better idea for the plot now because I did some brainstorming in my freetime (AKA, I was daydreaming during math class), but keep an eyes out, one or two of your ideas might pop up later! We'll see ;)**

** Anyway, guys, the usual, please read and leave a review! Thank you]**


	4. Chapter 4

**[Author's Note: Yep, I'm back. Many apologies for the late update. School has been _insane_ lately. I've had two huge projects due just this past week, and two more due next week, plus I've had two birthday parties to go to recently, and I also had to work on the next chapter of my other fanfic. So I hadn't had alot of time to work on this. But, anyway, here it is, Chapter 4! Enjoy!]**

The blackness was the first suprising thing. This blankness was not an elusive haze that was neither real nor fake, light nor dark. This was true-blue black, inky darkness. A real color, before the cat's eyes.

_Eyes_. The thought was alluring, truly knowing that the cat's anatomy was really there, not just a wisp of thought in a dream-world. _Eyes as in seeing. I can see!_ And then the cat felt what was probably the best feeling to feel: Touch.

It was more like acknowledging the presence of some force holding the cat to the earth, whatever earth there was to speak of, the cat still wasn't sure where it was. In fact, this cat had no clue where it was. A minute ago that hadn't really mattered, but now the cat felt a pressing urge that knowing its location was of utmost importance.

So, for the first time in who-knows-how-long, the cat blinked its eyes open.

It was not a reassuring sight. Colors, lights, shadows, swirled around and around and up and over and around until the cat wanted to shut them again in terror. But a nervous fascination kept its eyelids from even blinking, and then, reassuringly, the seemingly random flashes of light and dark and color slowed and calmed and blurred together, becoming sharp corners and solid hues and slightly flickering shadows.

The cat let out a slow breath, relishing the feeling of control in inhaling and exhaling.

A paw twitched, involuntarily, muscle spasm, across the surface below. The cat jumped with a start and, after a slight hesitation, ran the paw across it again.

It was cool and light and slick, but not wet. The cat stared at it, hard, until it came into focus. It was...the cat hesitated. _Colors, colors...brown!_ The cat was elated at this realization. It looked up. Four walls, all tall and flat, surrounded it. The cat was confused, but wasn't quite sure what to do about it yet.

Only then did it notice the second set of breathing in the small enclosed space.

It's head snapped around, painful after being still for so long. The world began to swirl and blur again, and the cat groaned, squeezing its eyes shut tightly, trying to ignore the throbbing banging in its head, like the thrumming of a drum.

Its eyes opened carefully, and the world settled into place. It swallowed, sighed, and turned its head slightly.

A mound of...white fur was balled in one corner of the space, flank rising and falling evenly, snoring slightly in its sleep. Who was that? Why was he/she there?

The cat blinked. No, wait. It knew who this cat was. _Of course I do. There's always been another cat here. How could I forget that?_ The cat winced as information began to flood its head, memories leeching back through the cracks in its mind, making the banging harder and harder against its brain.

Struggling through the headache, the cat stumbled to its feet with more than slight difficulty. It's legs were like wet noodles, soggy and floppy and lifeless. _Is it always this hard to walk?_ The cat wondered. _Wait...no. No it's not. It's usually easier._

The cat staggered over to its sleeping companion and swung a paw, remembering at the last second how to unsheathe claws. It struck what was probably a shoulder.

There was a snort mixed with a cry of pain, and suddenly a head was lifted from the ground, eyes swimming with confusion. A scarlet liquid oozed steadily from the cut, and the cat winced apologetically when it remembered what happens when you put too much force into a smack.

"Wake up." The cat stuttered. Talking was awkward and clumsy. It was almost as if his tongue had licked a nettle plant, turning it numb and swollen and useless in its mouth.

"Why?" The other cat's voice was just as bad, husked and forced, like trying to talk through a closed throat.

The cat took a shaky breath and sputtered out, "Because I don't know where we are."

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_Two hours earlier..._

Meadowsplash yawned and sighed, Her paws skimmed tiredly over the stacks of herbs she was rearranging.

She should be asleep, and she knew it. Darkstar had practically ordered her to get rest. But, regardless of what Darkstar had told her a little while ago, the medicine cat knew she needed to get herbs ready, because chances were that come morning Darkstar wouldn't remember half of what she'd said and would yell at Meadowsplash for not giving the kittens herbs.

Meadowsplash yawned again and sighed, reached out a paw to begin making another herb-wrap. She tilted her head slightly to peer back at the Twoleg box, still sitting motionless and imposing off in the corner of the den, mashed between a brambly thicket and a rock.

The medicine cat's paws itched to go over and poke the kittens awake, ask them about themselves, get them some food, and welcome them to ShadowClan. But, in fear for her life, she refrained. They would wake up on their own eventually, though who knew when, and she could talk to them then.

Meadowspalsh's eyes started to droop, blurring her vision of the leaves under her paws. She fumbled and dropped the pawful she was folding, sending them scattering across the den floor.

Her heavy eyelids finally slid shut, and, with barely a sigh of resistance, the grey and orange she-cat slipped to the ground and settled into sleep, sprawled out amidst the leaves and petals.

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Two hours later, she didn't notice the soft scraping sounds of claws against cardboard, or the two sets of _thumps_ that landed lightly on the den floor.

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**[Author's Note: Well, there you go. Kinda a short chapter, sorry. Next one will be longer and be up faster. Please leave a review, thank you! :3 Till next time!]**


	5. Chapter 5

** [Author's Note: Hello my peoples! Yeah, this chapter is super late, but I've had a really sucky week and didn't feel like updating. I was at my grandparents house for a funeral, I had to help my Dad pack to move, my pet rat died, and I was sick for two days. So yeah, I wasn't in the mood to write. But I sat down and forced out this chapter, so here you go! Enjoy, as per usual.]**

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Life for the ShadowClan medicine cat was usual rather predictable. For the most feared and suspected clan in the forest, they were rather routine and organized, in a way that might surprise the other clans, who thought of them as loosely-contained psychopaths.

Meadowsplash's days were mostly wake up, check to make sure no dying cats had staggered into the den during the night, gulp down a quick breakfast, immediately start organizing herbs for when the patrols were due to come back with cuts and bruises, sneak out to gather plants during a slow point in the day, treat training wounds from the apprentices, attend any evening ceremonies, eat dinner, treat any late-night wounds, and sleep peacefully until the next morning.

ShadowClan cats tended to enjoy their sleep, and, save for a few naughty apprentices, usually didn't sneak out during the night and mangle themselves up, so Meadowsplash could almost always enjoy the luxury of a long, sweet sleep uninterrupted by screeches of pain.

So snuggled on the ground amidst the scattered stacks of herbs, the last thing the she-cat expected was the suddenly be jumped upon, picked up forcefully by two sets of clawed paws, spat at by an unillegible voice, flung back to the ground, and have pawfuls of her fur torn out.

Her first reaction was shock, the next was to start screaming bloody murder and flail around like a kit being picked up by a hawk, managing to throw off the attackers and scramble to her feet, still screeching.

This seemed to do nothing more than agitate her assaulters, and she got a sharp blow to the side of the head that sent her reeling. Her legs tangled around themselves, and she fell back to the ground. The wind was knocked out of her and her wails ceased as she flailed her legs and tried to remember how to breathe correctly.

One of the attackers was on her again, wrestling to pin her down, claws scratching randomly, trying to catch on flesh. Meadowsplash's moons of battle training required to even medicine cats kicked in, and she thrust out her back legs, knocking the cat, who seemed oddly unstable, off its feet and sending it crashing down.

Meadowsplash sprang over the cat's crumpled, scrabbling form and landed a few feet away from where she had first been attacked. The other cat was stumbling towards her, spitting out something garbled that sounded something like, "Why... bring us here... shouldn't be here... what... want with us?"

Meadowsplash took in a shaky breath, her lungs still throbbing, and struggled to speak, regaining enough sense to try and be reasonable, "Look, I can't see you very well right now, so I don't know who you are." She began in a voice that she hoped sounded pleasant and calming. "Are you ThunderClan? WindClan? Listen, I'm a medicine cat, there's no need to attack me, remember the warriors code?"

The cat seemed to pause in its unsteady walk and stood, wavering slightly, glittering reflected eyes looking somewhat puzzled. It mumbled something that might have been, "What?"

Meadowsplash took a slow step towards him/her/it. "Please, I'm not part of any battles. If you want to speak to Darkstar, I can take you to her. Are you the leader of this patrol? Do you need to speak to our leader?"

The cat tipped its head to one side, which seemed to make its balance even more off, and it almost fell over. Behind her, Meadowsplash could hear the other cat get up and start to run clumsily towards her, but the first cat shouted something she could make out that stopped the other cat in its tracks.

"...See?" Meadowsplash said hesitantly after a moment, hoping not to set the cats off again. They obviously weren't right in the head. Had they been injured? The Thunderpath wasn't far off, had a monster hit them? Had they gotten trauma and staggered here, dazed and confused? "I'm okay. It's alright. Now look, I can take you to Darkstar, and we can get you home, does that sound okay?"

The cats were silent for a moment, seeming to be puzzling her question. She saw their raised hackles and thickened tails begin to relax, and she thought just maybe she had almost gotten them into a coherent state of mind.

And then-

"_Whoever you are, GET OUT! I've got ten warriors right behind me and more on the way! I will tear your cowardly pelts off and tack them to the wall of my den as a warning to any other fleabitten excuses for cats who think that they can sneak into ShadowClan in the middle of the night, attack our medicine cat, and get away alive!_"

At Darkstar biting words, any kind of order that had started to leach into the cats' minds dissolved. They screeched and took off in different direction, yowling things that Meadowsplash couldn't understand, staggering unsteadily, like they were rabid.

A wave of cats spilled into the den, tearing apart the entrance, howling battle cries and launching themselves at the two cats. Wails and blood-curdling shrieks went up and both cats disappeared under a mass of furious warriors, claws slashing, shouting death threats at the two unknown attackers.

"STOP!" Meadowsplash screamed. "STOP IT! DO NOT HARM THEM!" Her yowls were lost in the blood-thirsty fray.

Darkstar turned from where she stood at the front of the den, eyeing Meadowsplash suspiciously. "Stay out of this, Meadowsplash. This is a clear invasion, let the warriors handle it."

"Please, Darkstar, call them off! Let me explain! Tell them to stop!" Meadowsplash cried, feeling tears prick her eyes as a wail of pain went up from one of the cats, and the scent of blood started to fill the den.

Darkstar stared at Meadowsplash huge green eyes, reflected like moons in the light from outside. The leader blinked and lowered the fur on her back.

"Warriors, off now!" She barked, turning her gaze to the screeching fray around her. When the battle failed to cease, she bellowed, "I SAID STOP!"

The battle yowls died down, and the flailing of limbs and slashing of claws stopped. The warriors turned huge confused eyes on their leader. Both the 'invaders' were each pinned down by two burly cats, claws on their blood-stained throats. Both had finally fell silent, looking terrified, one whose eyes were closed as blood ran into them.

"You don't want us to finish them off?" One of the warriors, a skinny lump of orange tabby named Beechfur, questioned, sheathing and unsheathing his claws in anticipation.

"Did I say finish them off?" Darkstar growled through gritted teeth.

"They attacked Meadowsplash!" Hissed another cat who didn't take the hint to just stay quiet. "They're obviously hostile, they tried to kill her!"

"They barely scratched me!" Meadowsplash snapped at him, a silver and black tabby named Rainfoot. The unstable cats barely had done any damage, mainly just taking out a few pawful of fur. Still, she shifted slightly to hide the few bloody cuts she did have from the cat. "It was misunderstanding."

"Didn't sound like a misunderstanding when you were wailing your throat out like a fox had eaten your tail." Rainfoot sniffed.

"You stupid warrior!" She spat at him, fed up. "You're always just diving into things without thinking. Heads full of fight and nothing else! You would have killed them!"

"Meadowsplash!" Darkstar snapped. "That will be quite enough!" The medicine cat swallowed and nodded, whiskers quivering indignantly.

"Not a word from the rest of you!" The leader added, sweeping he gaze over her warriors. "The cats restraining our _visitors_, stay here and don't let them up. But Haretail, you can take a little pressure off that one's throat. He shouldn't be gagging like that." Haretail complied and the cat started breathing again.

"Anyone left save for Meadowsplash, out." Darkstar commanded. The cats blinked and didn't move, not at all eager to miss what was going to happen. "I said out! Back to your nests! The fight's over, you all did well, and now go back to bed. Don't think normal duties don't still need to be performed tomorrow. Anyone lags and you'll be leading the dawn patrol for a moon! Get along!"

The cats milled out slowly, still following Darkstar order for silence. Their eyes were the size of overripe walnuts and several of them left bloody pawprints on the den floor. If Darkstar thought a single one of them was going to get any sleep the rest of the night, their leader was finally losing it.

When Darkstar was satisfied the cats had gone (And had hissed away a few eager eavesdroppers), she turned back to Meadowsplash and the two guards.

"Now, keep it as simple as you can, and tell me, Meadow, why I shouldn't tell Haretail and Patcheye to tear these two cats throats out right now." Darkstar said in a slow and collected voice which was taut with restrained anger.

Meadowsplash opened her mouth and struggled to give an explanation that would satisfy a furious leader worried for the safety of her clan whose medicine cat was attacked by strangers in the middle of the night (Which was not an easy thing to do).

"I don't think they're really, um, mentally aware. I mean, I don't think they really know what's going on." She meowed unsteadily, glancing at the two cats pinned to the blood-stained ground.

"That's not reassuring as to why we should allow them to remain alive." Darkstar growled. "Mentally unstable is worse than knowing what they were doing."

"But I had them calmed down! I think they're just confused!" Meadowsplash cried. She looked down at them, whose pelts were so streaked with blood that only a few patches of snow-white fur shone through. "We don't even know where they came from! They don't smell like ThunderClan or WindClan. And look, they're not even full grown. At the most they're apprentices!"

Suddenly she blinked, shook her head, and stared hard at the cats again.

"Well, that's certainly something to think about, but regardless of their age or mental stability, that doesn't escape the fact that they attacked our camp in the middle of the night." Darkstar argued. "How do we know there's not a whole patrol a few tree-lengths away ready to pounce?"

"Because," Meadowsplash whispered in awe, reaching out a paw and gently stroking one of the cats on the top of the head. "Look in the box."

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**[Author's Note: Well, there you go. Hope you liked that chapter. The good stuff starts next chapter. In response to Oddstar's review: Yeah, I don't know why this story seems to be moving kind of slowly. I seem to be haggling too much with descriptions. This chapter probably also went kind of slow, sorry. I was going to add more, but I really need to write the next chapter of my other fic, so instead I'll just try to get the next chapter up soon. Ciao!]**


	6. Chapter 6

** [Author's Note: ...And here's the chapter that should have been up half a month ago! :/ Yeeaaah, sorry guys. I procrastinate really badly, and my computer sucks and school has been crap lately and blah. Enough with the excuses, anyway, here's the chapter! Also, quick question, does anyone want be to post the Allegiences? Or do you just want to try and figure it out yourselves?]**

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"This doesn't make sense." Darkstar growled for the fifth time, stalking back and forth across the den to the point that her paws were wearing a rut in the earth.

"Well it's obviously true, so stop yammering about it." Patcheye snapped.

Darkstar wheeled around. "Why are you still even here?" She growled at him and Haretail.

"Because you haven't told us to leave yet." Haretail sighed, scratching his ear with his hind paw.

"Well you're obviously not needed here at the moment, so do the clan a favor and get back to your nests for some rest. I want you two patrol-ready tomorrow." Darkstar ordered. The cats obeyed without complaint.

Darkstar sighed and rubbed her face with one paw. "Dear StarClan, give me the strength to get through this night without biting someone's throat out." She muttered to herself. straightening up abruptly, she whirled around. "Meadowsplash!" She shouted.

The orange and grey she-cat turned around from where she was seated near the back of the den. Her green eyes flashed in the dim light. "Hmm?"

"Get over here."

The medicine cat loped over, her tail twirling wildly in an attempt to keep her balance. Her clumsy side had returned, after momentarily being subdued during the crisis (If you could call it that).

"What is it? I should really get back to-" She began, only to be cut off.

"No, no." Darkstar hissed menacingly. "You are talking, _now_."

Meadowsplash froze, then sat down meekly. "Okay." She murmured submissively.

"What the _hell_ is going on." She hissed. "Two strange cats show up outside camp reeking of Twoleg, you tell me they're unconscious and practically hibernating, and now you're telling me they woke up and attacked you in the middle of the night, and you're also trying to convince me they're harmless and innocent kits? What kind of leader do you take me for, Meadowsplash? These cats are a present _danger_."

"Darkstar, I promise you they aren't." Meadowsplash burst out immediately.

"And how would you know that, Meadow?" Darkstar snapped. "Where are they anyway?"

"Sleeping off their ordeal in the back of the den. They wouldn't get back in the box. One of them tried to explain, but I couldn't understand him." She shook her head and turned back to Darkstar. "Darkstar, they're just confused, and they're so young, probably the age of a young apprentice. _Please_, you can't have us kill them!"

Darkstar growled. "Then we'll chase them away. Out of our territory, out of the clans. They can be rouges for all I care, but I want them out."

"No!" Meadowsplash wailed, leaping to her feet so quickly she almost slipped back down. She regained her balance and stared pleadingly at Darkstar. "No, Darkstar, _please_! You can't, they're barely past kithood! They'll never survive!"

_Great StarClan_, Darkstar thought to herself, _are there tears in her eyes?_

"Please, they're just confused. I can _help_ them. Please, I'm, I'm a good medicine cat. I, well, I think I am." Meadowsplash trailed off for a moment. "But I _know_ I can help them. Darkstar, I _promise_ I won't let them hurt anyone anymore. I know they can be great cats, think about it! Don't we need more warriors?"

"No, we don't." Darkstar growled almost inaudibly. "Great StarClan, Meadow. You're a medicine cat. You're treating them like your kits. You know you wouldn't be able to raise them, right? The code won't allow it, and _I_ won't allow it."

For a second, Darkstar saw almost a flicker of disappointment in the medicine cat's eyes. The leader wanted to spit out, _Get over it_, but her tongue froze at the last moment. She swallowed the remark and the thought and turned back to Meadowsplash.

Her green eyes glittered with unshed tears, and her ears were flattened appealingly. "Please." She whispered so softly it was almost not heard. There was almost defeat in her voice, like she knew what Darkstar's decision would be.

But Darkstar, being stared at so intently, _knew_ what she would say. And, StarClan, she hated it. But she knew, being pleaded with so desperately with those emerald orbs, she would give in. She hated it, she hated the reason, she hated Meadowsplash right now. But with a taut sigh and a snarled curse, she turned back to Meadowsplash.

Her nod was almost invisible.

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"Sleeping?" Darkstar questioned as they sat overlooking the two kits, their tails curled over their paws. They had gotten past the whole ecstatic thank-you fest, which Darkstar had cut short before Meadowsplash hyperventilated and imploded from happiness.

"Yes, deeply. But not totally unconscious, like last time." Meadowsplash responded, her voice still tight with restrained excitement, like a kit who was taken outside the camp for the first time but was told to be calm.

"Can we wake them up?" Darkstar questioned.

"I think they should get their sleep." Meadowsplash objected. "They've been through alot and-"

"If it's not medically necessary for them to continue sleeping, I have a few serious questions I need to ask them." Darkstar said sharply. "I don't want to wait until morning."

"What do you need to ask?" Meadowsplash meowed, moving in front of the kits slightly, as if to shield them from Darkstar.

"Well, first of all, who the hell they are." Darkstar snapped. Then she sighed and lowered her voice. "I'd also like to know their genders. From what I can tell they're identical, so it would at least be nice if they were opposite genders. Identical cats in the clans is just confusing and annoying. I'd also like to know where they came from, why they were with Twolegs, if there's anything wrong with them, and why on earth they decided to go for my medicine cat's throat and thought that was a good idea."

"It can't wait till morning?" Meadowsplash questioned flatly, knowing what the answer would be.

"No." Darkstar said briskly. "I'm not going to sleep tonight with strangers in my camp." She pushed Meadowsplash aside and leaned over the kits. "It's time they stopped being strangers."

The one kit's eyes opened before Darkstar's paw even touched it. The cat leaped to its feet, slipped, fell down, and cowered on the moss, claws unsheathed and teeth bared fearfully.

"Calm down." Darkstar said sharply.

"We won't hurt you." The medicine cat added.

"Not as long as you don't make us." Darkstar muttered under her breath, causing Meadowsplash to shoot her a look.

The kit didn't sheathe its claws, instead just flicked its yellow-golden eyes back and forth between Meadowsplash and Darkstar, looking confused and uncertain. It gave a low growl.

"Do you think you could wake up your friend up for us?" Darkstar questioned simply, trying for a gentle and patient voice and failing badly.

_Thank StarClan Darkstar never had kits_, Meadowsplash thought in amusement. _The poor kittens would probably be traumatized for life._

The white kit paused uncertainty, then, without taking its eyes off Darkstar, turned one paw and prodded its companion sharply in the side. The cat snorted, blinked, and sat up. It cowered instantly and began a low snarl.

"Calm down." Darkstar repeated.

"You're safe. We're not going to harm you." Meadowsplash said in a more soothing voice.

The cat swallowed slowly and turned its eyes back and forth between the two clan cats warily. Then its fur slowly relaxed and its face looked expectant. It opened its mouth, made a mumbling sound, then looked puzzled. It licked its lips, pursed its lips, and tried again,

"Hello."

The word was sloppy, as if the cats tongue was numb, but it made both clan cats prick their ears up.

"Hello!" Meadowsplash cried back excitedly, causing both kits to flinch at the sound.

"Meadowsplash, be quiet." Darkstar snapped. She turned back to the kits. "Can you say anything else, perhaps?"

The kit who had spoken looked uncertain, then slowly opened its mouth and tried again,

"I don't... I'm not sure...where...we are." It stuttered. By now Darkstar could recognize its voice as male, but the other cat had remained stone silent, so she couldn't tell its gender.

"You're in the ShadowClan medicine cat den." Darkstar explained. "I am the leader, Darkstar. This is Meadowsplash, my medicine cat, who you had no right to attack, I'll add." Darkstar's voice took on a more sharp tone at the end.

The male kit swllowed and his ears twitched nervously. "D-didn't know... s-s-sorry... Meadow... Meadowsplash."

Meadowsplash smiled happily. "It's okay, sweetie." She said pleasantly.

"No, its not." Darkstar hissed at her. She turned back to the kits. "What is your intent here? You don't attack for no reason."

The kit looked frightened again. He gave his friend a quick glance before stuttering out, "D-didn't know... Thought you were... you were..." He trailed off, looking confused. "I... can't r-remember."

"Remember what?" Darkstar questioned.

"Anything." The first kit spoke finally. Darkstar was pleased to hear the obvious female tinge to her voice. A male kit and female kit. That would make things easier.

"What do you mean, 'anything'?" Meadowsplash questioned.

"We can't remember anything." The kit snapped, her eyes narrowing.

"Names?" Darkstar meowed.

"No." The male kit supplied after a moment hesitation, as if trying to see if he could remember.

"Why were you with Twolegs?" Darkstar pressed.

This earned blank looks from both kits.

"Two-legs?" The girl kit sounded out slowly.

"Yes. They dropped you off from one of their monsters just outside our camp." Darkstar explained impatiently. "Why were you with them? Are you kittypets?"

The kits heads were almost visibly spinning at the strange words, the strange cats, and just exhaustion. The boy kit seemed close to tears, and the girl kits' claws were unsheathing again.

"Okay, fine." Darkstar said reluctantly. "That's enough for today. Go to bed."

The kits nodded wearily, exchanging another glance.

"Are you going to get in the box?" Darkstar asked after a moment.

"Box?" The boy kit ventured blearily.

Meadowsplash pointed with her tail to the kits' mode of transportation.

Both bristled instantly, claws unsheathed. "No." The boy kit said quickly.

Darkstar didn't press it, just yawned and nodde.d "M'kay. Well, Meadow, get them to bed. I'll deal with all of this mess in the morning." Then, with a wave of her silky tail, she was gone.

Meadowsplash watched as the kits snuggled down into their makeshift bed, tucking themselves into the moss, pressing against each other until they were just one blend of white in the shadows of the den.

Meadowsplash turned to head to her nest, then turned back once more.

"Just one last thing." She said quickly. "Are you brother and sister?"

One pair of eyes opened, shining golden in the dim light. The other didn't bother stirring.

"Of course we are." The boy kit mewed, like he was stating the obvious. Then he yawned, showing a tiny pink mouth, and closed his eyes again.

Meadowsplash smiled as she went back to her nest.

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**[Author's Note: Well, there you go. How was it? The next chapter is when things get more interesting. I want to say I'll have the next chapter up in a week, but realistically, expect about two weeks. (Who knows, maybe I'll get one up on time this time (...Yeah, probably not)) Ciao! :3 Please review!]**


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